Filled with samples, FX, classic organ sounds, quality pianos, and I/O, and ready for the stage.

The Nord Electro 3 Sixtyone stage piano/organ delivers some of the best stuff Nord has to offer in affordable and easy-to-use instruments. It is compatible with the Nord Piano library and takes full advantage of the Library's multitude of velocity layers, pedal-down samples, and extremely high quality samples providing you with unprecedented expressiveness. The keybed itself features a 61-key (5 octaves) velocity-sensitive, semi-weighted "waterfall" (square front) keyboard to help make this possible. Any current or future piano that is available for the Stage family will also automatically be available to the Nord Electro 3 piano.

Exquisite New PianosRight from the start, the Electro 3 is loaded with a great selection of pianos. There are three acoustic grands (two Yamaha C7s and one Steinway D) and two electric grands. Electric piano aficionados will love the tine-based types; a Mk I, a Suitcase Mk I, a Mk II and a Mk V all with their unique and distinctive personalities. A great Wurlitzer A200 is present, as is the mighty Clavinet D6. The Clavinet type also includes the Harpsichords. There is a French harpsichord in the factory sound bank, and more to come in the Nord Piano Library download area. Each and every one of these pianos can be replaced if you wish. There are plenty more to choose from in the Library area, including some XL versions of Nord's grand pianos, with even more details like added velocity layers and pedal-down samples. And all those sounds are available for free.

Samples from the Nord LibraryNot only loaded with great piano sounds, the Electro 3 also sports some great samples to add flavor to your sonic arsenal. You'll find some of the classic Mellotron sounds, a selection of strings, celeste, vibraphone, and many others. And, just as with the piano partition, all of the samples can be replaced if the factory selection does not suit your immediate needs.

You can also add virtually any sound you want to the Nord Electro 3. Sounds that Nord offers for free come from the Mellotron Library or any other instrument from the expanding and extensive Nord Sample Library, which is the same format as what the Nord Wave uses.

Nord Sample EditorBy using the free Nord Sample Editor, you can add any sound you want to the Electro 3. The Sample Editor can use audio files in the .wav format and is equipped with some great tools to assist you in getting the results you want. Mapping several samples across the keyboard or creating perfect loops has never been easier. You can even start assembling your own samples today in the computer, without having the Nord Electro 3 present—just download the Editor, the Electro 3 manual, and fire away. The Nord Sample Editor is compatible with Windows XP and Vista, and Mac OSX.

Organ SectionThe growling sound, and the soul of a B3 is hard to replicate faithfully in a digital instrument. Nord spent years perfecting their digital models and the Electro 3 contains the best emulation so far. The attention to minute details is stunning—the Electro 3 is even equipped with 4 selectable tonewheel modes that stretch from a clean sound to a battered unit. The most dramatic setting is vintage 3 which produces a sound in the background of its own, even if you don't touch any keys.

It's All in the DetailsEvery function in a B3 has been considered and examined in great detail, to make the Electro 3's version as true to the original sound as possible. There are key clicks derived from the original busbar behavior and the energy robbing that produces the gentle compression when you do that massive palm smear across the keyboard. To get the response right, Nord has included the option to trigger the organ sounds at the very top of a key's range, making it react just as fast as the original. They also couldn't resist adding functions that went a bit further, like the option to either include or exclude the 9th drawbar when Percussion is activated.

Vox and FarfisaThe Farfisa and Vox models on the Electro 3 series are just as impressive as the B3. The massive, savage sound created by their 12-top oscillator frequency-divider designs is also a no-sample zone in the Electro 3; you have the same behavior and unique response from these models as in the original instruments. The Farfisa Compact Deluxe, considered by many to be the mother of transistor organs, involves routing matrixes and complex filter combinations that offer a tailored sound with massive energy and high-end. The Vox Continental's brute design brings you a more hollow tone, but with a very intense character. Both these transistor organs have their own unique, irreplaceable personalities. Combine them with any of the Electro 3's speaker simulations, add some distortion, adjust the EQ, and they will definitely get you through any organ gig with flying colors.

Organ SplitUsing the Organ Split mode, you can play 2 different organ registrations in a dual-manual fashion, one sound on either side of a user definable keyboard split point. Connect a second MIDI keyboard to the Electro 3, to use the organ split functionality, but in a true, dual-manual setup.

Effect SectionThe Nord Electro 3 piano is equipped with a great selection of high-quality effects, including a lush-sounding reverb with five different algorithms. There is also a selection of tremolo, panning, wah-wah, phaser, flanger, and chorus effects, and a ring modulator. You can further sculpt your final sound by choosing from a selection of three amplifier simulations that can add any amount of grit and distortion from gentle to manic levels. A 3-band EQ with sweepable mid-range and a compressor can be added to the final stage of the audio path.

Enhanced Rotary Speaker EmulatorThe rotary speaker emulator on the Elecro 3 originates from the award-winning Nord C1 Combo Organ, with its acclaimed sound quality. This rotary speaker emulator incorporates the acoustic variations that occur when a physical speaker spreads the sound in a room, providing the full experience of when the air is moved around.

The Nord Electro 3's rotary also features the addition of the Rotary Stop Mode. This allows users to switch between fast and stopped rotation, and back again, by using either the controls on the panel or with a foot pedal (not included) connected to the Rotor Pedal input. This is a crucial functionality that mimics the behavior of early one-speed original rotary speaker units.

Those of you who are picky about the rotary behaviors will be pleased to find several user adjustable settings like speed and acceleration times for both treble and bass rotors. These options, as well as all the other System, MIDI, and Sound Menu functions are written on the right side of the panel, a great help for all those moments when the manual decided to stay at home.

FEATURES Organ Section

Organ section from the acclaimed Nord C1 Combo Organ

Three classic organ models: B3, Vox Continental, and Farfisa with full polyphony

9 digitally controlled drawbars

2 complete organ registrations for every program

The drawbars of Electro 3 are represented by up/down buttons and LED bar graphs instead of the ordinary mechanical drawbars to give you a big advantage: when you change programs, the correct drawbar settings are shown immediately by the LEDs

Vibrato/Chorus Control with separate functionality for each model (the classic C1, C2, C3, V1, V2, V3 options for the B3, Vibrato for the Farfisa)

4 Tonewheel modes: select the level of "vintage" you wish to have in your B3 sound

MIDI Split: Supports an extra MIDI keyboard when the Organ Split mode is activated, making it possible to use the Nord Electro 3 as a dual manual (Lower/Upper) organ with different drawbar settings for each manual

I have had this Electro 3-61 for a few months now and I like everything except the built in Lesley. A total disappointment. Why do I say that since so many seem to love it? Let me splain. If the other reviewers are playing this board through a transistor amp, maybe they can't here what I here. I am a "Vacuum tube only" when it comes to anything musical driving a low impendence load like a speaker if your looking for "real". The problem may be Nord incorporated the Lesley into the overdrive pre-amp. The Piano playing through this self built vacuum tube set up is very good and so is the B3 section untill I turn on the Lesley simulator, Then total crap transistor distortion. This you hear in the harmonics. Yes the drive is set to 0. If you own one of these you can test this in this way. Turn on the Lesley and it does sound much like the real thing, then stop the Lesley "on the left" you get steady tones and then turn off the "speaker/comp on the right and there you will tell. The B3 actually sounds warm and real, as soon as you turn on the speaker/comp with it set to Rotary and the Rotary speed stopped the sound changes to that cheap "thin" transistor sound and then turn the Drive up. As soon as you begin to advance the drive the distortion gets worse. (I know that's what it's for) but it should NOT be there when I don't want it. The Lesley simulator should be aloud to used without going through the "speaker/comp" pre amp section. Since the Lesley can't be used unless you turn on the speaker/comp the Lesley is crap. Of course if you play everything in distortion why bother buying good gear. Good except for. Not enough memory, Can't load 1 extra large piano file.Lesley sucks. I will explain in Overall statementSo far So goodPrice is typical of type of product.

I am so happy I bought this! Used it for the first time at a gig last night and it was SO sweet. I am by no means a pro, so it was a steep learning curve for me, figuring out which sounds I wanted when, and getting my head around it so I could perform. The action is nice - weighted, but light. The buttons are a little bit counter-intuitive sometimes - I really wish they had turn knobs for some stuff instead of little buttons you have to push repeatedly. The software and website setup is great - easy peasy, didn't even have to read the manual, or register, or pay - just hook it up and away you go. I wish the keyboard had more space for sample sounds though! Isn't memory so cheap these days? Why the limited space? On the other hand there are already so many sound choices on this thing it about makes my head explode. Anyway LOVE it, and can I say I'm shallow enough that I love how it looks - compact, red, super groovy. Got the Nord gig bag as well, and a Behringer amp (ULTRATONE K450FX) which sounds great with it.

The Nord Electro 3 is an Electromechanical Keyboard Emulator in that it does a very good job of emulating keyboards like Pianos, Rhoads, Hammond, Mellotron, etc. Most of the music I play, on the keyboard, are songs by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Blackcrows, Beatles, Frampton, Styx. With the exception of synth sounds of Styx and Floyd, this keyboard fits my needs. The Nord website is rich with free downloads of sounds that are drag and drop into the keyboards memory via USB, that I haven?t had time to try, because enjoyment I am having playing this board. The effects section is very robust with phaser chorus, tremolo, 2 speed Leslie, reverb, amp modeling and EQ. The Leslie impressed me because you can hear effect caused by the time it takes for the motor to speed up and slow down (just like the real thing). Keeping in mind these old boards didn?t have a pitch wheel, or after touch and the Elector 3 is true to that. The only thing I would have changed in the design is the draw bar buttons. I?m not experienced on the Hammond, so I?m not sure how much these are moved during play, but a push pull lever would seem to be a better fit, over up and down buttons. Overall the board is seemingly well built and should last for year to come, not to mention it sounds amazing. Someday I plan to add a second board to my rig, probably a Prophet 08. Would also love to have a Little Phatty, and a Theremin.

Wow! I finally have MY keyboard! The Electro 3 is everything I had wanted in a "modern vintage" keyboard.1. A crazy accurate B3, plus a Vox and Farfisa organs.2. Excellent Pianos, electric pianos, Harpsichords, & Clavs. 3. Samples- the Mellotron Library, the Chamberlin library, and much more. (plus fairly good software to manage them)All of these samples sound great.4. Size- this is totally Gig-ready, and lightweight.The only negative comments I can find are:1. They need more storage space for the Samples bank (too easy to fill up), or maybe a removable storage of some kind.2. A couple buttons are out of position. And we need an Up AND Down to cycle through sounds (instead of holding the shift button to go down).Overall, this is an impressive package. When you start ripping through your favorite tunes with deadly sonic accuracy, you'll know what I mean.

I have owned many keyboards in the course of my 18 years of stage and studio work. But I could never find one to meet my needs for a portable organ/ piano/ etc. rig that I actually could stand to play. I owned or used all the popular simulatuors at some point and couldn't keep them long because just didnt have "that sound" I am so happy that I have found the NORD Electro3! From the start it has a fantastic organ, it blows away all other contenders. I play a real B3 every week and know exactly what one sounds like, so believe me when I say that this sounds almost identical. The bonus here for me is that it is infinitely tweakable. You can edit the leslie speed and ramp up/down speed as well. Plus you have control over drawbars, percussion, amp, reverb and more. This is where the Electro3 shines. The electro2 was great, but the leslie wasnt quite dialed in right and there wasnt much you could do about it. They have solved that problem with the electro3 and it is amazing!! The pianos are equally good, but if you have a light touch and you want this for a primary piano you might play it first. I have a light touch and tend to be too light with its pianos, but they sound amazing, even the upright models. The electric pianos are great too, love them. Where I really want to brag is about the mellotron strings. The sample library section is also new on the electro3, and man is it worth it!! I am involved in a live christmas production right now and received many many complements on how amazing and real the strings sound. Strings are another area where many keyboards have trouble. This one, thanks to NORDs library of sounds, is amazing! You can also load almost anything on to it with the help of the included software. I play this along with a NORD Lead2x. If you want great acoustic instruments, especially organ, look NO FURTHER, you found it!! If you are trying to decide between the electro2 and 3, get the 3, it is so worth the extra coin. I can't believe how happy I am with this keyboard!

The Nord 3 is so sweet! I ordered the Nord2 & was not happy at all,the organs were great,but the piano was horrible(sounded hella clanky,banjo-ish) & everything except the organs was just ok. It also lacked some of the features the 3 has & the leslie button is better placed on this unit & the added on-board reverb is a nice plus,the "live" feature is cool too,so you don't have to be in the memory bank,you just click "live" & pick your instrument & tweak the tone to your liking.All in all the Nord 3 is a huge step up from the Nord 2,it's a totally different instrument,it looks the same,but with a few exceptions is not,it has all been re-done inside. The C-1 organ is phenomenal,the B-3/A-100 sounds better than ever & the vox & farfisa are nice to have for other styles. The pianos in this unit are MUCH BETTER than the 2,I can actually sit & play solo piano & be very satisfied unlike the Nord2,it has a couple clanky ones,but 70% of the piano tone in this unit are great,you just have to adjust to playing piano with the organ style action.They have added a few new rhodes which sound real deal & the wurli & clav are great as always & easily enhanced with the effects.The Mellotron sounds are sick as well,Strawberry Fields anyone? I read they were so-so & not that usefull in other reviews,but I think most sound great & are more than useable for live & recording situations,great classical strings,some horns,vibes,flute,etc. fun,fun. I am very happy with this unit,the action is a little strange,I prefer weighted keys & don't like synth,this is right in between,so it's good,just have to adapt to it & it is great for organ. Well,nothing is perfect,but this unit comes close,at least for me,I don't need crazy synth sounds or a sequencer,just sweet vintage tones & this little baby delivers all that with style!

I normally don't take the time to write reviews for something,but I have fallen in LOVE with this keyboard. A swiss army knife of vintage keyboards! Sounds incredible!! Much,Much better then the Nord Electro 2 model. Also Nord updates the sounds and firmware for there products and has GREAT customer support! Stop thinking and buy this board!! You won't be disappointed!